MEC Skhosana and the Mpumalanga House of Traditonal Leaders convey condolences to families of initiates
14 May 2013
The MEC for the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Mr Simon Skhosana and the Chairperson of the Mpumalanga House of Traditional Leaders, Kgoshi Mathibela Mokoena have conveyed their heartfelt condolences to families of initiates that died in an initiation school in the Nkangala district. Preliminary reports indicate that 10 young men lost their lives while attending an initiation school. Post mortems are being conducted to determine the exact causes of these deaths.
The Department’s Disaster Management Centre has provided tents that are used by Department of Health officials as mobile clinics in some of the initiation schools. These tents are spread across all areas in the province where there are initiation schools. The Department is working closely with the Department of Health to ensure the safety of initiates.
The Department and the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders will continue to monitor the situation and provide assistance to the affected Traditional Authorities.
The causes of the deaths are being investigated and relevant Departments will provide more details as they conclude their investigations.
The Department would like appeal for calm in this difficult period and urge residents to respect the sensitivity around the traditional practices of initiation.
Contact person
Simphiwe Kunene
Cell:
0824133931
Issued by the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs
